Eureka Municipal Code § 155.208 Mixed-Use Zoning Districts

(A) General. The purposes of the mixed-use zoning districts are to:

(1) Protect, enhance and build upon Eureka’s unique identity, historic character and sense of community;

(2) Promote a compact development pattern with high-intensity activity centers, infill development, adaptive reuse of existing buildings and redevelopment of vacant lots and underutilized properties;

(3) Encourage a mix of commercial, residential, professional office and civic land uses;

(4) Accommodate a broad range of commercial uses to serve the community and allow properties to quickly respond to evolving market opportunities over time;

(5) Promote a diversity of multi-family housing choices in higher density mixed-use settings, especially on upper floors;

(6) Provide a pedestrian-friendly environment while accommodating the needs of automobiles where appropriate;

(7) Promote transportation alternatives, reduce the reliance on automobiles and increase opportunities to walk, bike or take transit to destinations;

(8) Foster a diverse and resilient local economy, friendly to new business investment and the creation and retention of quality jobs;

(9) Encourage growth in the city’s tax base to support city services and infrastructure; and

(10) Provide attractive and well-designed streetscapes, buildings, parking and public spaces.

(B) Specific.

(1) Downtown (DT). The DT Zoning District maintains, promotes, enhances and builds upon Eureka’s Downtown as a vibrant center for residents, businesses, the arts, local/regional visitors and out-of-town tourists. Vertical mixed-use development with a diversity of uses promote daytime and evening activity, including residential, cultural, lodging, civic, professional office, entertainment, retail and other customer-serving and employment-intensive uses. Multi-story buildings built to lot lines fully utilize available land and support a high-intensity economic and cultural center for the surrounding region. Existing buildings are fully utilized with uses that serve residents, employees, visitors and the broader region. A diversity of building types and architectural styles, many with active ground-floor uses, support a vibrant pedestrian environment and active and inviting public spaces.

(2) Downtown West (DW). The DW Zoning District is an extension of the Downtown (DT) Zoning District with a broader range of allowed land uses to further encourage investment and development and to provide a transition zone from Broadway to Downtown.

(3) Service Commercial (SC). The SC Zoning District is an intensive commercial district primarily located in or adjacent to highly visible areas, and provides for local, regional and visitor needs. Development accommodates vehicles in a manner that supports an attractive streetscape and pedestrian-friendly environment. The SC Zoning District allows a broad variety and scale of retail, office, restaurants, lodging, entertainment, outdoor sales, large product retail sales, storage, warehousing, wholesale and limited residential uses.

(4) Henderson Center (HC). The HC Zoning District is a pedestrian-oriented limited-scale neighborhood shopping district primarily serving residents in nearby neighborhoods. Pedestrian-scale buildings with active street-facing storefronts close to the sidewalk create an active and inviting public realm. Single-family residential homes converted to retail and office uses retain their residential character and buffer nearby residences from higher intensity uses.

(5) Neighborhood Commercial (NC). The NC Zoning District provides places for limited-scale convenience retail, restaurants, offices, professional services and other customer-serving uses to meet the daily needs of nearby residents, workers and visitors. The form and intensity of development supports an active pedestrian environment and is compatible with neighboring residential properties. Limited residential mixed-use development contributes to neighborhood vitality and safe and attractive streetscapes.

(6) Wabash Avenue (WA). The WA Zoning District provides an area for limited-scale commercial uses to serve the community in the western half of Eureka. Over time, existing properties will be modified and redeveloped to create a more robust neighborhood-oriented and pedestrian-friendly shopping and professional service-related corridor.

(7) Office Residential (OR). The OR Zoning District provides areas for customer-serving and non-customer-serving professional offices, clinics and related retail and services, as well as residential uses. The OR District allows a mix of single-family and multi-family housing, offices, converted residential buildings and lodging where the intent is to generally retain the character, scale and form of the residential neighborhood. The OR Zoning District provides a mix of office and residential uses in an environment with a different character and lower intensity than the other mixed-use commercial districts of the city.

(8) Hospital Medical (HM). The HM Zoning District provides a centralized and consolidated regional hub for hospitals, medical offices and clinics, other health care-related uses and restricted commercial development that supports these uses.

(C) Coastal zoning districts.

(1) The following mixed-use zoning districts are located exclusively in Eureka’s coastal zone:

(a) Old Town - Coastal (OT-CZ);

(b) Bayfront Commercial - Coastal (BC-CZ);

(c) Library District - Coastal (LD-CZ);

(d) Marina District - Coastal (MD-CZ);

(e) Service Commercial - Coastal (SC-CZ);

(f) Gateway North - Coastal (GN-CZ); and

(g) Bridge District - Coastal (BD-CZ).

(2) Purpose statements, allowed land uses and development standards for coastal zoning districts are found in Municipal Code Ch. 156 (Coastal Zoning).

(Ord. 885-C.S., passed 5-21-19)

(A) General. Table 208-1 identifies allowed land uses and required permits in the mixed-use zoning districts.

Table 208-1: Allowed Land Uses in the Mixed-Use Zoning Districts P = Permitted Use M = Minor Use Permit Required C = Conditional Use Permit Required - = Prohibited

Table 208-1: Allowed Land Uses in the Mixed-Use Zoning Districts P = Permitted Use M = Minor Use Permit Required C = Conditional Use Permit Required - = Prohibited

(B) Additional permits. In addition to permits identified in Table 208-1, proposed projects in the mixed-use zoning districts may require additional permits and approvals as described in § 155.412 (Specific Permits and Approvals).

(C) General Retail - Outdoor in the Downtown Zoning District. The following requirements apply to general retail - outdoor (including outdoor vehicle sales and rental establishments) in the Downtown (DT) Zoning District.

(1) Secondary use only. General retail - outdoor is allowed only as a secondary use when combined with a permitted primary use. See § 155.108.050(C) (Types of Uses).

(2) New uses prohibited. New general retail - outdoor (including outdoor vehicle sales and rental uses) established after June 20, 2019, are prohibited.

(3) Existing uses may remain. An existing general retail - outdoor facility (including vehicle sales and rental establishments) is an allowed use subject to the following requirements:

(a) The general retail - outdoor use (including vehicle sales and rental uses) applies to the entire lot;

(b) The use may not be enlarged or expanded to a new lot unless the new lot already contain a general retail - outdoor use;

(c) Existing buildings occupied by the general retail - outdoor use may be repaired, improved and enlarged. New buildings may be constructed to serve the use;

(d) Other uses that comply with the DT Zoning District standards may be added to a site while the general retail - outdoor use remains in operation;

(e) Existing general retail - outdoor uses may be replaced by another conforming use at any time; and

(f) If a general retail - outdoor use is discontinued for 12 consecutive months or more, the use may not be reestablished.

(Ord. 885-C.S., passed 5-21-19; Am. Ord. 902-C.S., passed 8-18-20; Am. Ord. 925-C.S., passed 9-7-21; Am. Ord. 931-C.S., passed 2-15-22; Am. Ord. 951-C.S., passed 10-17-23)

(A) General. Table 208-2 identifies development standards in the mixed-use zoning districts.

Table 208-2: Development Standards - Mixed-Use Zoning Districts

Table 208-2: Development Standards - Mixed-Use Zoning Districts

(B) Maximum front setbacks. The following applies to new buildings in zoning districts with a maximum front setback requirement as shown in Table 208-2.

(1) Buildings shall be constructed at or within the required maximum front setback for a minimum of 50% of the lot’s linear street frontage. See Figure 208-1.

(2) The Director may modify or waive this requirement with an administrative adjustment. To approve the administrative adjustment, the Director must make the findings in § 155.412.030(F) (Findings for Approval) and the following additional findings:

(a) Unique physical conditions on the site require the modified standard to accommodate a development project consistent with the purpose of the applicable zoning district; and

(b) The project incorporates a front-facing courtyard or privately-owned public space between the front building wall and front lot line to provide a pedestrian-oriented environment. See Figure 208-2.

Figure 208-1: Maximum Front Setbacks

[Figure]

Figure 208-2: Front-Facing Courtyard or Privately-Owned Public Space

[Figure]

(C) Setbacks adjacent to residential zoning districts. All new buildings and additions to existing buildings adjoining a lot in a residential zoning district must comply with the setback standards in Table 208-3. See Figure 208-3.

Table 208-3: Setbacks Adjacent to Residentially-zoned Lot

Table 208-3: Setbacks Adjacent to Residentially-zoned Lot

Figure 208-3: Setbacks Adjacent to Residential Zoning Districts (Elevations)

[Figure]

(D) Building design. See § 155.312 (Design Standards) for building design standards that apply to all new primary buildings in the DT, DW, HC, SC, WA, NC and OR Zoning Districts.

(E) Parking. See § 155.324 (Parking).

(F) Landscaping. See § 155.328 (Landscaping).

(G) Signs. See § 155.340 (Signs).

(Ord. 885-C.S., passed 5-21-19; Am. Ord. 902-C.S., passed 8-18-20; Am. Ord. 916-C.S., passed 7-6-21; Am. Ord. 931-C.S., passed 2-15-22; Am. Ord. 938-C.S., passed 11-1-22; Am. Ord. 951-C.S., passed 10-17-23)

(A) Purpose and applicability. Figure 208-4 shows the location of pedestrian-focused frontages outside of the coastal zone. The façades of buildings facing these street frontages are subject to special land use regulations and development standards to maintain and enhance an active and engaging pedestrian environment. These standards do not apply to façades that do not front the street (e.g., multi-story building façades that can be seen over shorter buildings).

(B) Design review required. Any exterior modification to a building façade that faces a pedestrian-focused frontage requires design review in accordance with § 155.412.040 (Design Review), unless the Director determines the modification is so minor in nature that it would not be noticeable by a pedestrian, and the modification does not result in a decrease in ground-floor storefront transparency. "Exterior modification" includes the addition of a new sign, but does not include refacing of an existing sign when there is no change in the size of the sign, and does not include a new, or refacing of an existing sign painted directly on the façade. Design review is not required for signs allowed without permits listed under § 155.340.030.

(C) Ground floor ceiling height. A new building with non-residential ground-floor uses facing the street must provide a minimum floor to ceiling height of 12 feet on the ground floor.

(D) Ground floor residential use limitations.

(1) New residential development with less than 66 dwelling units per acre must be part of a mixed-use project where the residential use is located above or behind a ground-floor non-residential use facing the street. For example, on a 6,000 square foot lot, a new residential development with less than nine units cannot have ground-floor street-facing residential units.

(2) For projects with 66 dwelling units per acre or more, ground-floor residential uses facing the street are permitted. For example, on a 6,000 square foot lot, a new residential development with nine or more units may have street-facing residential units.

(3) For shared living quarters without separate kitchen or bathroom facilities for each room or unit (e.g., micro/shared housing, non-medical care housing, or emergency shelters), ground-floor residential uses facing the street are permitted if the project serves 99 persons or more per acre.

(4) When allowed, ground-floor residential uses facing the street are not subject to the transparency requirement in § 155.208.040(E) (Ground Floor Storefront Transparency).

Figure 208-4: Pedestrian-Focused Frontages (both sides of each street)

[Figure]

(E) Ground floor storefront transparency. Non-residential ground-floor uses facing the street shall comply with the following transparency requirement.

(1) The ground-floor street-facing building walls of non-residential uses must provide transparent windows or doors with views into the building for a minimum of 65% of the building frontage located between three and seven feet above the sidewalk. See Figure 208-5.

(2) Window and door area must be transparent to allow views into the building, but may be translucent for privacy purposes, provided that the windows can be returned to a transparent state.

Figure 208-5: Storefront Transparency (between three and seven feet above the sidewalk)

[Figure]

(3) The Director, or Design Review Committee when design review is required pursuant to § 155.412.040 (Design Review), may allow exceptions to this transparency requirement with an administrative adjustment. To approve the administrative adjustment, the Director or Design Review Committee must make the findings in § 155.412.030(F) (Findings for Approval) and the following additional findings:

(a) The proposed use has unique operational characteristics that preclude building openings, such as for a cinema or theater; and

(b) Street-facing building walls will exhibit architectural relief and detail, and will be enhanced with landscaping in such a way as to create visual interest at the pedestrian level.

(Ord. 885-C.S., passed 5-21-19; Am. Ord. 902-C.S., passed 8-18-20; Am. Ord. 916-C.S., passed 7-6-21; Am. Ord. 951-C.S., passed 10-17-23)